Entertainment

Rough House wants to bridge the gap

KEITH 'Rough House' Powell's single Nice Up Di Dance is becoming a staple of the live music and club scene in Cologne and Dortmund in Germany.

The single is the first from the artiste's debut Love Divine.

"The feedback has been incredible. I have performed the song several times in front of thousands of people during recent performances in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, and dem love it each time. The song has an energy of its own, it is real, the people are reacting to it, the radio is beginning to pick it up, and that is why I am going for a big summer push with it," he said.

A German resident for the last 15 years, the Jamaica-born Powell Jr, who is also a bass guitarist, is seeking to bridge the communication and cultural gap between Germany and Jamaica.

"Right now, things are not so great in terms of the relationship between reggae artistes in Jamaica and the movers and shakers in the German reggae music scene. I want to bridge a gap by organising an islandwide tour with the top German reggae artistes and bands from Germany. They will be offering their services free and we want to find a way to generate money to give back to Jamaica through charities, music workshops, and buying instruments. All I am seeking now is sponsors to help defray the cost of transportation, airfare and hotels," said Rough House, who was born in the parish of Manchester.

Rough House is the lead bass player and the musical director for Samy Deluxe, one of Germany's most successful solo rap musicians, whose two solo albums have both peaked at number two on the German album charts.

"I have also worked with Gentleman, and a lot of big name artistes in Germany, playing on their albums, things are just looking better this year," he said.

"Right now, the sky is the limit. My mission is to get the music to the people, a number of small independent record labels have expressed an interest in my work, plus the video has just been released and the buzz is growing," Rough House said.

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